Friendly, pleasant and sensitive as a person his chess persona contrasted greatly. He loved complex positions and combinations which would give flight to his imagination and in the age of Hypermodernism he seemed to belong to an earlier more romantic time.

Being Jewish, he fled Nazi Germany and in 1939 went to Sweden. According to his close relatives (cited on p. 86 of Michael Ehn, Rudolf Spielmann, Koblenz, Germany, 1996) he locked himself in his room and was later found starved to death. Another version is that he suffered from a 'Parkinson's disease'-like illness, which became worse rapidly, at the end. He was admitted to the Asö hospital, where he died. Official cause of death was 'Hypertonie und Cardiosclerosis' (ibid. p. 91).

His book 'The Art of Sacrifice' remains a classic. Spielmann is known as 'The Last Romantic'.

Karpova: After the latest medical examination, Spielmann was drafted. But prior to reporting for duty, he gave a 14-board Simul in the Vienna Chess Club on Tuesday, the 26th. He scored +11 -2 =1, losing to Dr. Klein and Dr. Chieger.

At the end of the 6th round paragraph is written, that the playing start time was changed to 1600 (playing time 1600 to 2000) and adjourned games had to be resumed the next day from 1000 to 1400. So it seems that the morning playing time was abolished and the morning only used for adjourned games.

Schlechter's result is explained by his editing of Bilguer's handbook, while Dr. Kaufmann hadn't played serious, competitive chess for 18 years. Spielmann received 1000 Kronen, the <Leopold Trebitsch-Preis>.

Karpova: Spielmann was a guest of the <Societa Scacchistica Triestina> in Trieste on Whit Sunday 1913 and played a 21-board Simul against 20 opponents. He scored +13 -4 =4. He lost to G Bezeg, Dr. E Tomicin and two times to G Traubner. He drew G Scoipnich, G Adamich, F Machnich and A Riedl.

Karpova: The quote <Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.> is not from Spielmann.

The mistake stems from page 107 of Chernev’s 'The Bright Side of Chess', where two unattributed quotes are followed by a quote from Spielmann.

I cite Edward Winter: <It is evident from other parts of this chapter of Chernev’s that when he gave, for instance, two unattributed quotations followed by an attributed one it was only the last of these that he intended to ascribe to the writer named.> C.N. 3160 in http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

In this case, it looks like this:

<Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.>

<From Anderssen I learned the art of making combinations; from Tarrasch I learned how advantageously to avoid making them.>

waustad: I was looking at a satellite photo of the Haus des Schachsports in Wien, which is at Rudolf Spielmann Platz, if I recall correctly, though it isn't listed as such yet on the google map. It appears to be about 30m x 20m, which made me wonder about facilities for spectators. Any pictures I've seen are of players and organizers, or else David Shengelia who is always photographed at chess events in Wien. For the 3rd instance of the Vienna Chess Ladies at that venue the notice in http://www.chess.at/ included "Kiebitze sind willkommen," so there must be some space for spectators.

Nosnibor: Spielmann won the Stockholm Tournament of 1919 but the following little game which he lost is very interesting and should be uploaded to the database. d4White: A.Olsen Black R.Spielmann,Max Lange Attack 1e4,e5.2Nf3,Nc6.3Bc4,Nc6.4d4,exd4.50-0,Bc5.6e5,d-
5.7exf6,dxc4.8Re1+Be6.9Ng5,g6.10Nd2,Qd5.11Nde4,0-
-0-0.12Nxe6,fxe6.13Nxc5,Qxc5.14Bh6,Qf5.15Qf3!e5.-
16f7,Qxf3.17gxf3,Kd7.18f4,exf4.19Re4,g5.20Rd1,Rd-
f8.21Bg7,b5.22Rde1,d3.23cxd3,cxd3.24Rd1,Nd8.25Rx-
d3+ Kc6.26Bxf8,Rxf8.27Rxd8,Rxd8.28Re8,Black Resigns 1-0(Source Chess of To-day by Alfred Emery published 1924.)

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